Lufthansa flights to Paris cancelled after wildcat strike

Lufthansa flights to and from Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris were cancelled Thursday after workers staged a wildcat strike against planned job cuts, affecting about 1,300 passengers.

"There is nobody here now, all the workers have reported sick," said a spokesman for the Aeroports de Paris authority which owns and manages several airports including Charles De Gaulle in the northeastern suburb of Roissy.

"As a result, all flights for the day -- including 11 departing from Roissy and 11 due to arrive -- have been cancelled," he said.

In a joint statement, several unions said there was a "general malaise" among Lufthansa workers at France's main airport.

Lufthansa, under tough pressure from low-cost rivals, has embarked on a savings drive to boost profitability and earmarked 3,500 job cuts around the world, including 199 in France.

Since the announcement, workers have been "tired and depressed" and several have taken medical leave, leading to understaffing levels of more than 20 percent, said Franck Bonot, an official from the Unsa union.